Machine-Learning-Assisted Material Discovery of Pyridine-Based Polymers for Efficient Removal of ReO4.

Efficient capture of 99TcO4- is the focus in nuclear waste management. For laboratory operation, ReO4- is used as a nonradioactive alternative to 99TcO4- to develop high-performance adsorbents for the treatment. However, the traditional design of new adsorbents is primarily driven by the chemical intuition of scientists and experimental methods, which are inefficient. Herein, a machine learning (ML)-assisted material genome approach (MGA) is proposed to precisely design high-efficiency adsorbents. ML models were developed to accurately predict adsorption capacity from adsorbent structures and solvent environment, thus predicting and screening the 2450 virtual pyridine polymers obtained by MGA, and it was found that halogen functionalization can enhance its adsorption efficiency. Two halogenated functional pyridine polymers (F-C-CTF and Cl-C-CTF) predicted by this approach were synthesized that exhibited excellent acid/alkali resistance and selectivity for ReO4-. The adsorption capacity reached 940.13 (F-C-CTF) and 732.74 mg g-1 (Cl-C-CTF), which were better than those of most reported adsorbents. The adsorption mechanism is comprehensively elucidated by experiment and density functional theory calculation, showing that halogen functionalization can form halogen-bonding interactions with 99TcO4-, which further justified the theoretical plausibility of the screening results. Our findings demonstrate that ML-assisted MGA represents a paradigm shift for next-generation adsorbent design.

Wheat ABA Receptor TaPYL5 Constitutes a Signaling Module with Its Downstream Partners TaPP2C53/TaSnRK2.1/TaABI1 to Modulate Plant Drought Response.

Abscisic acid receptors (ABR) play crucial roles in transducing the ABA signaling initiated by osmotic stresses, which has a significant impact on plant acclimation to drought by modulating stress-related defensive physiological processes. We characterized TaPYL5, a member of the ABR family in wheat (Triticum aestivum), as a mediator of drought stress adaptation in plants. The signals derived from the fusion of TaPYL5-GFP suggest that the TaPYL5 protein was directed to various subcellular locations, namely stomata, plasma membrane, and nucleus. Drought stress significantly upregulated the TaPYL5 transcripts in roots and leaves. The biological roles of ABA and drought responsive cis-elements, specifically ABRE and recognition sites MYB, in mediating gene transcription under drought conditions were confirmed by histochemical GUS staining analysis for plants harbouring a truncated TaPYL5 promoter. Yeast two-hybrid and BiFC assays indicated that TaPYL5 interacted with TaPP2C53, a clade A member of phosphatase (PP2C), and the latter with TaSnRK2.1, a kinase member of the SnRK2 family, implying the formation of an ABA core signaling module TaPYL5/TaPP2C53/TaSnRK2.1. TaABI1, an ABA responsive transcription factor, proved to be a component of the ABA signaling pathway, as evidenced by its interaction with TaSnRK2.1. Transgene analysis of TaPYL5 and its module partners, as well as TaABI1, revealed that they have an effect on plant drought responses. TaPYL5 and TaSnRK2.1 positively regulated plant drought acclimation, whereas TaPP2C53 and TaABI1 negatively regulated it. This coincided with the osmotic stress-related physiology shown in their transgenic lines, such as stomata movement, osmolytes biosynthesis, and antioxidant enzyme function. TaPYL5 significantly altered the transcription of numerous genes involved in biological processes related to drought defense. Our findings suggest that TaPYL5 is one of the most important regulators in plant drought tolerance and a valuable target for engineering drought-tolerant cultivars in wheat.

TaPYL4, an ABA receptor gene of wheat, positively regulates plant drought adaptation through modulating the osmotic stress-associated processes.

BACKGROUND: Abscisic acid receptors (ABR) involve transduction of the ABA signaling in plants, impacting largely on stress-defensive physiological processes and plant osmotic stress response. In this study, we characterized TaPYL4, a gene of ABR family in T. aestivum, in mediating plant drought tolerance given scarcity of functional characterization on wheat ABR members thus far. RESULTS: TaPYL4 harbors nine conserved domains shared by its PYL counterparts, targeting onto plasma membrane and nucleus after endoplasmic reticulum assortment. TaPYL4 interacts with TaPP2C2 whereas the latter with TaSnRK2.1, which establish a core module of the ABA signaling pathway. TaPYL4 expression was upregulated in root and aerial tissues upon drought stress. Overexpressing TaPYL4 conferred plants improved growth traits whereas knockdown expression of target gene alleviated growth feature compared with wild type under drought treatment. The TaPYL4-enhanced drought adaptation associates gene function in positively regulating stomata movement, osmolyte biosynthesis, and root system architecture (RSA) establishment. Expression analysis on the P5CS family genes involving proline biosynthesis indicated that TaP5CS1 exerts critical roles in promoting osmolytes accumulation in drought-challenged TaPYL4 lines. TaPIN9, a PIN-FORMED gene modulating cellular auxin translocation, was validated to function as a crucial mediator in defining RSA establishment underlying TaPYL4 regulation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that TaPYL4 controls transcription of numerous genes, which impact on physiological processes associated with 'biological process', 'molecular component', and 'cellular process'. Moreover, the differentially expressed genes mediated by TaPYL4 were closely related to stress defensive pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Our investigation suggested that TaPYL4 acts as a positive regulator in plant drought tolerance and a valuable target for engineering drought-tolerant cultivars in T. aestivum.

CAP1, a target of miR-144/451, negatively regulates erythroid differentiation and enucleation.

The exact molecular mechanism underlying erythroblast enucleation has been a fundamental biological question for decades. In this study, we found that miR-144/451 critically regulated erythroid differentiation and enucleation. We further identified CAP1, a G-actin-binding protein, as a direct target of miR-144/451 in these processes. During terminal erythropoiesis, CAP1 expression declines along with gradually increased miR-144/451 levels. Enforced CAP1 up-regulation inhibits the formation of contractile actin rings in erythroblasts and prevents their terminal differentiation and enucleation. Our findings reveal a negative regulatory role of CAP1 in miR-144/451-mediated erythropoiesis and thus shed light on how microRNAs fine-tune terminal erythroid development through regulating actin dynamics.

A nationwide post-marketing survey of knowledge, attitudes and recommendations towards human papillomavirus vaccines among healthcare providers in China.

Since licensure of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in mainland China, little research has been conducted about healthcare providers' (HCPs) understanding and recommendation of HPV vaccine. A multi-stage convenience sample of Chinese HCPs (N = 5270) were surveyed, involving obstetrician-gynecologists, HCPs from Division of Expanded Program on Immunization (DEPI), Community Health Center (CHC) and other non-HPV closely related professions. Binary logistic regression was conducted to explore factors associated with knowledge and recommendation behaviors. Overall, HCPs showed basic HPV/HPV vaccine knowledge with median (interquartile range) score at 9.5 (7.5-11.6) out of 16 and relatively high recommendation behavior (74.8%). Identified knowledge gaps among HCPs included risk factors of HPV infection, best time to vaccinate, prophylactic functions of HPV vaccine and especially classification of low-risk and high-risk types. Profession-specific analysis in individual knowledge item showed HCPs from CHC were suboptimal on HPV while obstetrician-gynecologists were less competent on HPV vaccine knowledge. Obstetrician-gynecologists also recommended vaccination less frequently than HCPs from DEPI and CHC. Besides being key predictors of recommendation practice (2.74, 95% CI: 2.34-3.21), knowledge shared independent determinants with recommendation behavior on age and ethnicity and additionally associated with education and title by itself. Findings highlight overall and profession-specific gaps on HPV and HPV vaccine knowledge and recommendation practice. Future education and training efforts should be profession-niche-targeting and focus much on HCPs with lower title or education background and from minorities.

Structural Evolution of Lanthanum Hydroxides during Long-Term Phosphate Mitigation: Effect of Nanoconfinement.

Lanthanum (La)-based materials are effective in removing phosphate (P) from water to prevent eutrophication. Compared to their bulky analogues, La(OH)3 nanoparticles exhibit a higher P removal efficiency and a more stable P removal ability when spatially confined inside the host. Consequently, the understanding of the nanoconfinement effects on the long-term evolution of La-P structures is crucial for their practical use in P sequestration and recycle, which, however, is still missing. Here, we describe an attempt to explore the evolution of La-P structures, the P environment, and the status of La(OH)3 nanoparticles confined in the nanopores of the D201 resin, compared to a nonconfined analogue, over a P adsorption period of 25 days in both simulated wastewater and the real bioeffluent. A combinative use of X-ray diffraction (XRD), cross-polarization nuclear magnetic resonance (CP-NMR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques confirms the transition from La-P inner-sphere complexation to the formation of LaPO4·xH2O and finally to LaPO4 in both samples. Interestingly, the rate of structural transformation in the real bioeffluent is substantially reduced. Nevertheless, in both conditions, nanoconfinement results in a much faster rate and larger extent of the structural transition. Moreover, nanoconfinement also facilitates the reverse transformation of stable LaPO4 back to La(OH)3. Our work provides the scientific basis of nanoconfinement for the preferable use of La-based nanocomposites in P mitigation, immobilization, and recycle application.

Coupling of biostimulation and bioaugmentation for enhanced bioremoval of chloroethylenes and BTEX from clayey soil.

The bioremoval potential of Pseudomonas plecoglossicida toward mixed contaminants was explored through the coupled biostimulation and bioaugmentation in soil microcosm. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize nutrients and innoculum size for the cometabolic removal of two representative chloroethylenes, trichloroethylene (TCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cis-DCE), mixed with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). The interactive effects of nutrients [nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)] and inoculum size toward the bioremoval of mixture of BTEX (600 mg kg-1), cis-DCE (10 mg kg-1), and TCE (10 mg kg-1) were estimated using principal component analysis and two-dimensional hierarchical cluster analysis. The optimal condition was confirmed with C:N:P ratio of 100:26.7:1.8-4.8 and higher inoculum size (≥25%), where 97.7% of benzene, 98.3% of toluene, 91.2% of ethylbenzene, 45.6% of m,p-xylene, 31.2% of o-xylene, 26.9% of cis-DCE, and 33.5% of TCE were bioremoved.

Selective Phosphate Removal from Water and Wastewater using Sorption: Process Fundamentals and Removal Mechanisms.

Eutrophication of water bodies is a serious and widespread environmental problem. Achieving low levels of phosphate concentration to prevent eutrophication is one of the important goals of the wastewater engineering and surface water management. Meeting the increasingly stringent standards is feasible in using a phosphate-selective sorption system. This critical review discusses the most fundamental aspects of selective phosphate removal processes and highlights gains from the latest developments of phosphate-selective sorbents. Selective sorption of phosphate over other competing anions can be achieved based on their differences in acid-base properties, geometric shapes, and metal complexing abilities. Correspondingly, interaction mechanisms between the phosphate and sorbent are categorized as hydrogen bonding, shape complementarity, and inner-sphere complexation, and their representative sorbents are organic-functionalized materials, molecularly imprinted polymers, and metal-based materials, respectively. Dominating factors affecting the phosphate sorption performance of these sorbents are critically examined, along with a discussion of some overlooked facts regarding the development of high-performance sorbents for selective phosphate removal from water and wastewater.

Enhancing the Fenton-like Catalytic Activity of nFe2O3 by MIL-53(Cu) Support: A Mechanistic Investigation.

A novel Fenton-like catalyst was synthesized by immobilizing nano-Fe2O3 (nFe2O3) on MIL-53(Cu). The pseudo-first-order rate constant of bisphenol A degradation in the nFe2O3/MIL-53(Cu)/H2O2 system reached 0.0123 min-1, while the values in MIL-53(Cu)/H2O2 and nFe2O3/H2O2 systems were only 0.0026 and 0.0040 min-1, respectively. The characterization of nFe2O3/MIL-53(Cu) reveals that the supreme catalytic activity of this material could be ascribed to iron-copper synergy, smaller size, and better dispersion of nFe2O3 particles. Moreover, a method of trapping Cu(I) by neocuproine was developed, which could shield Cu(I) from interacting with iron and H2O2, and thus allow quantitative differentiation of the contribution to the enhanced catalytic activity by each of the factors. Using this method, 19% of the enhancement was determined to be contributed by synergistic effect, while 24% of the enhancement was due to the smaller size and better dispersion of the nFe2O3 particles on MIL-53(Cu) support. In addition, the performance of nFe2O3/MIL-53(Cu) only dropped 10.7% after five treatment cycles in real wastewater, showing good potential in practical application. We believe this study sheds light on the tailored design of Fenton-like catalysts and elucidates the catalytic mechanisms of supported bimetallic catalysts.

Unexpected Favorable Role of Ca2+ in Phosphate Removal by Using Nanosized Ferric Oxides Confined in Porous Polystyrene Beads.

Polystyrene-based nanoferric oxide composite is a representative nanomaterial successfully applied in scale-up water decontamination for arsenic and phosphorus. However, little is available on the effect of solution chemistry (for instance, the coexisting Ca2+) on the long-term performance of the nanocomposite. In this study, we carried out 20 cyclic runs of phosphate adsorption-desorption on a polymer-supported ferric nanocomposite HFO@201. Unexpectedly, an enhanced phosphate removal was observed in the presence of Ca2+, which is quite different from its adverse effect on phosphate capture by granular ferric oxide. Further mechanistic studies revealed that enhanced phosphate removal was mainly realized via the Ca-P coprecipitation inside the networking pores of HFO@201 as well as the possible formation of the multiple Fe-P-Ca-P complex. The complex formation led to a distinct increase in P adsorption, and the coprecipitation, driven by the accumulated OH- in confined pores during phosphate adsorption and alkaline regeneration, favored P removal via the formation of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) and hydroxyapatite inside. TEM-EDS spectra indicated that coprecipitation did not occur on the surface of loaded nano-HFO, greatly mitigating its adverse effect on P adsorption on the surface of nano-HFO. Fixed-bed column study showed that the presence of Ca2+ increased the effective treatable volume of HFO@201 toward P-containing influents by ∼70%. This study is believed to shed new insights into the effect of solution chemistry on similar nanocomposites for advanced water treatment.

Dysregulation of resting-state functional connectivity in patients with Cushing's disease.

PURPOSE: To explore the anatomical distance-dependent functional connectivity patterns in patients with active phase of Cushing's disease (CD) and to evaluate the associations between hypercortisol exposure and regional normalized functional connectivity strengths (nFCSs). METHODS: Based on the fMRI data in 32 CD patients and 32 healthy controls (HCs), we computed the nFCSs for each voxel in the brain and further divided them into long-range and short-range nFCSs. General linear models was used to investigate between-group differences in these nFCS metrics and the correlations between the nFCSs and clinical variables. RESULTS: Compared with HC, CD patients showed dysregulation of the nFCSs mainly in the default mode network. They showed an overall higher nFCS in bilateral parahippocampal cortex mainly owing to the disruption of long-range nFCS and a relatively lower nFCS in bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), bilateral lateral parietal cortex (LP), and right prefrontal cortex (PFC). In addition, their long-range nFCS was lower in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, PCC, and LP; short-range nFCS was lower in the bilateral PFC. Notably, the positive correlation between the nFCSs in their right parahippocampal cortex and serum cortisol levels at 08:00 remained significant after taking the anatomical distance into consideration. CONCLUSION: The discrepant functional connectivity patterns found in our study indicated a hypercortisol-associated, distance-dependent disruption of resting-state functional connectivity in patients with active CD. We provide novel insights into the impacts of hypercortisol exposure and the pathophysiologic mechanisms of CD, which may facilitate advances in CD intervention ultimately.

Environmentally Friendly in Situ Regeneration of Graphene Aerogel as a Model Conductive Adsorbent.

Adsorption is a classical process widely used in industry and environmental protection, and the regeneration of exhausted adsorbents, as the reverse process of adsorption, is vital to achieving a sustainable adsorption process. Chemical and thermal regeneration, which feature high costs and environmental side effects, are classical but not environmentally friendly methods. Herein, a new regeneration method based on an electrochemical process using graphene aerogel (GA) as a model conductive adsorbent was proposed. First, 3D GA was prepared to adsorb organic and inorganic pollutants, avoiding the inconvenience of using powdered graphene. Then, the exhausted GA was cleaned by the electrochemical desorption and degradation of adsorbed organic pollutants if undesired and the electrorepulsion of adsorbed metal ions in the absence of any additional chemicals, showing a high processing capability of 1.21 L g-1 GA h-1 and low energy consumption (∼0.2 kWh m-3 solution). The mechanisms involved in the electrochemistry-induced desorption process cover a decline in the GA adsorption performance depended on the electrochemically adjustable surface charge conditions, and the further repulsion and migration of adsorbates is subject to the strong in situ electric field. This work has important implications for the development of environmentally friendly regeneration processes and qualified adsorbents as well as the application of a green and efficient regeneration concept for traditional adsorption processes.

Enhancement of tunneling current in phosphorene tunnel field effect transistors by surface defects.

The effects of the staggered double vacancies, hydrogen (H), 3d transition metals, for example cobalt, and semiconductor covalent atoms, for example, germanium, nitrogen, phosphorus (P) and silicon adsorption on the transport properties of monolayer phosphorene were studied using density functional theory and non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. It was observed that the performance of the phosphorene tunnel field effect transistors (TFETs) with an 8.8 nm scaling channel length could be improved most effectively, if the adatoms or vacancies were introduced at the source channel interface. For H and P doped devices, the upper limit of on-state currents of phosphorene TFETs were able to be quickly increased to 2465 µA µm-1 and 1652 µA µm-1, respectively, which not only outperformed the pristine sample, but also met the requirements for high performance logic applications for the next decade in the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). It was proved that the defect-induced band gap states make the effective tunneling path between the conduction band (CB) and valence band (VB) much shorter, so that the carriers can be injected easily from the left electrode, then transfer to the channel. In this regard, the tunneling properties of phosphorene TFETs can be manipulated using surface defects. In addition, the effects of spin polarization on the transport properties of doped phosphorene TFETs were also rigorously considered, H and P doped TFETs could achieve a high ON current of 1795 µA µm-1 and 1368 µA µm-1, respectively, which is closer to realistic nanodevices.

Clinicopathological analysis of myxoid proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma.

Proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma (ES) with a diffuse myxoid stroma is rare. Here, we report the case of a 33-year-old man with a perineal mass. Imaging showed the presence of a poorly demarcated 6.9 × 5.3-cm mass in the subcutaneous perineal region. Macroscopic examination showed that the resected tissues were partially necrotic. Histological examination showed that the tumor comprised numerous large or pleomorphic epithelioid cells with large vesicular nuclei and prominent nucleoli. A clear background of necrosis and inflammatory exudates was also present. Immunohistochemical examination showed that the tumor cells were positive for vimentin and CD34 - both of which were expressed throughout the cytoplasm - but typically did not express nuclear INI1 (SMARCB1). Hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE staining) showed that the mucin content of the tumor was approximately 80%. The patient was diagnosed with proximal-type ES with myxoid features. The patient died due to disease progression after 2 months of follow-up and without undergoing further treatment in our department. To our knowledge, only 2 cases of proximal-type ES with diffuse myxoid stroma have been reported. Proximal-type ES is rare, and this is the first case report of proximal ES with myxoid features in the perineal area.

Increasing radiofrequency ablation volumes with the use of internally cooled electrodes and injected hydrochloric acid in ex vivo bovine livers.

PURPOSE: We used an impedance-controlled generator with an internally cooled electrode to perform radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in ex vivo bovine livers, with a single injection of either 38.5% sodium chloride (NaCl) or 10% hydrochloric acid (HCl), to determine the relative effects of these two solutions on tissue impedance, temperature and ablation volume. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed 10 ablations each with injections of NaCl (NaCl-RFA), HCl (HCl-RFA) or nothing (RFA-alone), with a power setting of 200 W for 15 minutes. We recorded tissue impedance before and after injection. We logged temperatures obtained from thermocouple probes positioned 5, 10, 15 and 20 mm from the internally cooled RF electrode. After ablation, we measured ablation zone longitudinal and transverse diameters, and we calculated a spherical ratio (SR) for each ablation. RESULTS: Mean post-injection impedance of 30.3 (standard deviation [SD] 2.5) ohms for HCl was significantly lower than that of 55.4 (SD 3.5) ohms for NaCl (p < .001). Mean maximum temperatures recorded at each respective distance from the RFA electrode were all highest for HCl-RFA and lowest for RFA-alone (p < .001). Mean longitudinal and transverse diameters after HCl-RFA (5.50 [SD 0.25] cm and 5.28 [SD 0.22] cm, respectively) were significantly larger than those after NaCl-RFA (4.24 [SD 0.35] cm and 3.55 [SD 0.43] cm, respectively) and after RFA-alone (3.60 [SD 0.10] cm and 2.70 [SD 0.13] cm, respectively) (p < .001). Mean SR after HCl-RFA (0.93, SD 0.02) was significantly higher than mean SR after NaCl-RFA (0.76, SD 0.06) and RFA-alone (0.72, SD 0.04) (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Monopolar, impedance-controlled RFA, with an internally cooled electrode and a single 10% HCl injection may allow larger tumors to be treated, potentially resulting in improved patient outcomes.

Demographic transition and the dynamics of measles in six provinces in China: A modeling study.

BACKGROUND: Industrialization and demographic transition generate nonstationary dynamics in human populations that can affect the transmission and persistence of infectious diseases. Decades of increasing vaccination and development have led to dramatic declines in the global burden of measles, but the virus remains persistent in much of the world. Here we show that a combination of demographic transition, as a result of declining birth rates, and reduced measles prevalence, due to improved vaccination, has shifted the age distribution of susceptibility to measles throughout China. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We fit a novel time-varying catalytic model to three decades of age-specific measles case reporting in six provinces in China to quantify the change in the age-specific force of infection for measles virus over time. We further quantified the impact of supplemental vaccination campaigns on the reduction of susceptible individuals. The force of infection of measles has declined dramatically (90%-97% reduction in transmission rate) in three industrialized eastern provinces during the last decade, driving a concomitant increase in both the relative proportion and absolute number of adult cases, while three central and western provinces exhibited dynamics consistent with endemic persistence (24%-73% reduction in transmission rate). The reduction in susceptible individuals due to supplemental vaccination campaigns is frequently below the nominal campaign coverage, likely because campaigns necessarily vaccinate those who may already be immune. The impact of these campaigns has significantly improved over time: campaigns prior to 2005 were estimated to have achieved less than 50% reductions in the proportion susceptible in the target age classes, but campaigns from 2005 onwards reduced the susceptible proportion by 32%-87%. A limitation of this study is that it relies on case surveillance, and thus inference may be biased by age-specific variation in measles reporting. CONCLUSIONS: The age distribution of measles cases changes in response to both demographic and vaccination processes. Combining both processes in a novel catalytic model, we illustrate that age-specific incidence patterns reveal regional differences in the progress to measles elimination and the impact of vaccination controls in China. The shift in the age distribution of measles susceptibility in response to demographic and vaccination processes emphasizes the importance of progressive control strategies and measures to evaluate program success that anticipate and react to this transition in observed incidence.

Flat Graphene-Enhanced Electron Transfer Involved in Redox Reactions.

Graphene is easily warped in the out-of-plane direction because of its high in-plane Young's modulus, and exploring the influence of wrinkled graphene on its properties is essential for the design of graphene-based materials for environmental applications. Herein, we prepared wrinkled graphene (WGN-1 and WGN-2) by thermal treatment and compared their electrochemical properties with those of flat graphene nanosheets (FGN). FGN exhibit activities that are much better than those of wrinkled graphene nanosheets (WGN), not only in the electrochemical oxidation of methylene blue (MB) but also in the electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene (NB). Transformation ratios of MB and NB in FGN, WGN-1, and WGN-2 were 97.5, 80.1, and 57.9% and 94.6, 92.1, and 81.2%, respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the surface resistance of the graphene samples increased in the following order: FGN < WGN-1 < WGN-2. This suggests that the reaction charges transfer faster across the reaction interfaces and along the surface of FGN than that of WGN, and wrinkles restrict reaction charge transfer and reduce the reaction rates. This study reveals that the morphology of the graphene (flat or wrinkle) greatly affects redox reaction activities and may have important implications for the design of novel graphene-based nanostructures and for our understanding of graphene wrinkle-dependent redox reactions in environmental processes.

Enhanced Phosphate Removal by Nanosized Hydrated La(III) Oxide Confined in Cross-linked Polystyrene Networks.

A new nanocomposite adsorbent La-201 of extremely high capacity and specific affinity toward phosphate was fabricated and well characterized, where hydrated La(III) oxide (HLO) nanoclusters were immobilized inside the networking pores of the polystyrene anion exchanger D-201. La-201 exhibited enhanced phosphate adsorption in the presence of competing anions (chloride, sulfate, nitrate, bicarbonate, and silicate) at greater levels (up to molar ratio of 20), with working capacity 2-4 times higher than a commercial Fe(III) oxide-based nanocomposite HFO-201 in batch runs. Column adsorption runs by using La-201 could effectively treat ∼6500 bed volumes (BV) of a synthetic feeding solution before breakthrough occurred (from 2.5 mg P/L in influent to <0.5 mg P/L in effluent), approximately 11 times higher magnitude than that of HFO-201. The exhausted La-201 could be regenerated with NaOH-NaCl binary solution at 60 °C for repeated use without any significant capacity loss. The underlying mechanism for the specific sorption of phosphate by La-201 was revealed with the aid of STEM-EDS, XPS, XRD, and SSNMR analysis, and the formation of LaPO4·xH2O is verified to be the dominant pathway for selective phosphate adsorption by the immobilized nano-HLO. The results indicated that La-201 was very promising in highly efficient removal of phosphate from contaminated waters.

Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea: evaluation with 3D-SPACE sequence and management with navigation-assisted endonasal endoscopic surgery.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of MR images with three-dimensional sampling perfection with application optimised contrast using different flip-angle evolution (3D-SPACE) sequence for detecting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea and image-guided surgery for the management of CSF rhinorrhea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 45 consecutive patients with suspected CSF rhinorrhea from 2010 to 2015. Patients underwent preoperative MRI scan including 3D-SPACE and conventional T2-weighted (T2W) protocol. Two-blinded neuroradiologists determined the presence and location of CSF leakage. Imaging results were compared with surgical findings and/or ß-2 transferrin testing. Intraoperative navigation was used during endonasal endoscopic surgery for repairing CSF rhinorrhea. RESULTS: 3D-SPACE sequence correctly described 27 cases (93.1%) and conventional T2W sequence described only 20 (69.0%) of the total 29 patients with truly positive CSF leakage. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for detecting CSF leakages were 93.1%, 87.5%, 93.1%, and 87.5% for 3D-SPACE, and 69.0%, 81.3%, 87.0% and 59.1% for T2W, respectively. To repair the leakage, 3D-SPACE image-guided navigation was used to locate the CSF leakage sites intraoperatively. Only two CSF leakage sites proved by surgery were missed by navigation. Successful endoscopic repairs were achieved in 25 of 26 (96.2%) patients during the first attempt. During the follow-up, there were no major postoperative complications or recurrences encountered. CONCLUSION: MR imaging with 3D-SPACE sequence is an effective and reliable method with higher sensitivity and specificity than T2W for detecting CSF leakage. Intraoperative 3D-SPACE image-guided navigation is helpful in locating the sites of the CSF leakage during endonasal endoscopic surgery.

[Effect analysis of multi-electrode synchronous radiofrequency ablation and conventional single electrode overlapping ablation].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the different effects in ex vivo bovine liver between multiple cool-tip internally cooled electrodes synchronous radiofrequency ablation via switching controller and conventional single electrode overlapping radiofrequency ablation. METHOD: The above two methods were used to ablate in ex vivo bovine liver respectively. Electrode exposed end was 3 cm or 4 cm in length. The morphological characteristics of lesions created by two methods were observed, the sizes of the ablated lesions were measured and compared. RESULT: The formation of lesions ablated by both two methods was ellipsoidal. The longitudinal diameter, transverse diameter, front-end diameter and volume of the lesions ablated 16 mins by multi-electrode synchronous radiofrequency ablation via switching controller were (7.12 ± 0.52) cm, (5.71 ± 0.47) cm, (1.77 ± 0.29) cm, (102 ± 20) cm³, respectively. All of them are larger than the lesions ablated 36 mins by conventional single electrode overlapping radiofrequency ablation (P<0.01). At the same 16 mins, multi-electrode synchronous radiofrequency ablation via switching controller created longer longitudinal diameter and large volume (P<0.01) with longer exposed end electrodes (4 cm vs 3 cm). But the transverse diameter, the front-end diameter had no statistical difference (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with the conventional single electrode overlapping radiofrequency ablation, multi-electrode synchronous radiofrequency ablation via switching controller create larger lesion in the shorter time. It may provide a new attempt for the clinical treatment of large hepatocellular carcinoma.